Jim is a tax and real estate attorney
Jim’s background as a CPA and businessman involved in his extended family’s agribusiness enterprises inform his unusually diverse practice experience. He regularly represents family business owners, entrepreneurs, and real estate investors in tax, transactional, financing, operational, succession, and estate planning matters. His experience includes joint venture, partnership, limited liability company, and other co-investment arrangements; mergers and acquisitions; individualized estate and succession planning for closely held business owners; and tax advantaged real estate and business transactions.
Jim has substantial experience throughout southwest Florida with acquisition, development, operation, leasing, financing (including securitized loans and loan defeasance), sales and tax planning related to commercial real estate, including shopping centers, industrial warehouse and flex-space properties, storage facilities, office buildings, apartments, and agribusiness properties. Jim is known statewide for his representation of developers, owners, and operators of manufactured housing communities and RV parks.
Jim is a fourth-generation Floridian. He was born and raised in Sarasota and joined the firm upon graduating from law school. Jim became a partner in 1986 and Senior Counsel in 2023.
COMMUNITY
- Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Samartian Counseling, Board of Directors
- Florida Bar Agricultural Law Committee, Founding Member
- Florida Bar Mobile Home Law Committee, Founding Member
- International Council of Shopping Centers, Associate Member
- Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Past Board Member
- Riverview High School Foundation, Past Board Member and President
- Florida Manufactured Housing Association, Past Board Member
- The Argus Foundation, Past Board Member and President
- National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Past Vice Chairman of Tax & Credit Committee
- REAL Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, Past Board Member
- Sarasota Family YMCA, Past Board Member and Vice President
- United Way of Sarasota County, Past Board Member
- First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, Past Ruling Elder and Adult Sunday School Class Teacher
- First Presbyterian Church Endowment Committee, Past Board Member, Past Secretary, and Past Chairman
- Sarasota Day Nursery, Past Board Member
- The Field Club, Past Board Member and Commodore
ACCOLADES
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent
- Best Lawyers in America, Real Estate Law
- Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates
- Florida Trend, Legal Elite
- Top Rated Lawyer in Trusts and Estates Law selected by American Law Media and Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers 2023 Lawyer of the Year